Means for suspending overhead track-rails.



N. WHIGHELLO.

MEANS FOR SUSPENDING OVERHEAD TRACK RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4. 1912 Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

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STTES MEANS FOR SUSPENDING- OVERHEAD TRACK-RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

Application filed April 4, 1912. Serial N 0. 688,442.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN lVHIoHELLo, a subject of the King of England, residing at Muskegon, county of Muskegon, State of Michigan, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Means for Suspending Overhead TrackRails, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supporting and suspending overhead track rails, and particularly overhead monorails.

The object of the invention is to provide a suspending support construction for overhead track rails, monorails or thelike, which is simple, eliicient, easy to manufacture and to apply for use and wherein is avoided the necessity of providing the rail or member to be supported, or the beam or other member from which it is supported, with bolt holes or other openings for the supporting or suspending devices, and also wherein is avoided the necessity of providing supporting or suspending fittings in predetermined locations along the track member or its supporting beam or member.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a view in top plan, parts broken off, of an overhead track rail suspension construction embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the same on the line 2, 2, Fig. 1, the tie plate being shown in full edge view. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3, 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a slight modified construction and arrangement and wherein the supporting beam or member is itself a suspended hanger, as for instance a roof truss. Fig. 5 is a view in section on the line 5, 5, Fig. 4.

In construction embodying the use of monorails or other overhead track rails or members, along which trolleys, telphers or other carriers are designed to travel it has been the practice heretofore to support or suspend the track rail from overhead beams or supports by providing suspending or supporting fittings at predetermined locations along the tracks and supporting beams or members, and at such predetermined locaobjectionable for the reason, that the prol vision of bolt holes or openings in the supporting members involves the removal of body material therefrom which tends to weaken them at the points where such holes or openings are made. Moreover, it is exceedingly diflicult to predetermine with accuracy the exact location of said holes or openings in the track or rail member before delivery of the same at the place where it is to be erected, while the supporting beam or member is not ordinarily supplied by the contractor for the monorail installation but is previously erected in or forms part of the structure of the shed, warehouse, or other building where the monorail system is to be installed. In such case the making of bolt holes or openings therein for attachment of the monorail or other track member supporting connections becomes an expensive and somewhat slow and tedious operation.

- It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide an overhead track rail or monorail suspension and supporting construction wherein the necessity of providing bolt or other holes or openings in either the rail or member to be supported, or in the beam or member forming the support for the connecting devices, is entirely avoided, as well as the necessity of predetermining the exact locations of the rail and beam connecting devices.

In carrying out my invention I propose to suspend the monorail or track rail member by its upper flange from the lower flange of the supporting beam member, and to this end I propose to employ engaging devices so constructed and arranged as to engage said flanges, respectively, and placed the one over the other, and bind or hold the same together while at the same time readily capable of application at any desired point where the rail and beam members intersect or cross each other, or to be readily detached, but,

when applied, being held against working loose or backing off from engaging relation.

It is obvious that the specific structure of engaging devices may vary throughout a wide range without departure from the spirit and scope of my invention. While therefore, I have shown, and will now describe the various specific forms thereof, I wish it ing the flanges of the track rail member and i the beam member, and being secured or connected together, and the tie plate serving to retain the engagement of the hook bolts and clamping members with their respective rail 5 and beam flanges, the hook bolts engaging; beneath the upper flanges of the rail member, and the clamp members engaging the lower flanges of the beam member, the tie; plate being interposed between the rail and beam members.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A designatesi the overhead supporting beam or member; and B, the monorail or track member to be; suspended therefrom; C, the lower flange of the member A, and D, the upper flange of, the member B. The hook portions E, of the'hook bolts are designed to engage underneath the flanges D, vwhile the shanks F,

thereof, pass loosely through the castings G, forming the clamp members, and are threaded to receive nuts H, by which thei clamp members are drawn tightly down upon the upper surfaces of flanges C, and the hook portions E, drawn tightly upi against the under surface of flanges D. The tie plate J, is placed, in this case, between .the members A, B, is provided with openings K, through which the hook bolts pass,} and they serve to prevent said bolts from backing off from clamping relation with rei spect to the flanges D, when the nuts H, are properly turned up to clamp the parts toget-her. If desired, the clamp members G,, may be provided with extensions L, the; outer ends of which are received in open-l ings M, in the tie plate J, to prevent said clamping members from backing off from clamping relation with respect to the flanges C, when the parts are clamped up.

In practice I prefer to employ two hook bolts E, for each clamp member G, each of 1 said clamp members G, engaging a flangei C, andthe two hook bolts associated therewith engaging respectively flanges D, on opposite sides of the monorail or track rail member. ran-gement, it will be seen that the members ofcooperating pairs of hook bolts engage opposite flanges of the monorail or track rall member on both sides of the supportlng beam member. It will also be seen that a clamp member engages each supporting beam member flange.. Thus an exceedingly simple connecting device is provided which In this manner and by this arsecurelysupports and suspends the monorail or track rail member at its intersection or crossing with respect to an overhead beam, and without the provision of any bolt holes or openings in either beam, and without predetermining the location of the suspending connections at any particular point in the length of either beam. The connecting devices are easily and readily applied, and, when applied, are securely held in place, but can be readily removed when required, by simply removing the nuts H, which act disconnects the parts so that they may be removed.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown a slightly modified arrangement wherein the supporting beam or member A, is itself suspended by means of hangers or roof trusses N, connected to a plane 0, which, in turn, is connected to the beam A. In this case, also,

i I employ two plates, J, J, the tie plate J,

having the same relation as above described with reference to the construction shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3, while one end of the plate V J, bears upon flange C and the other end upon flange D, a packing piece S, being preferably interposed for convenience. The packing piece S preferably may have a down turned flange L to engage the edge of the rail flange D, and it may also be suitably secured to the plate J as, for instance, by rivet R, or otherwise.

IIav'ing now set forth the object and nature of my invention and various arrangements embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. In a means for suspending overhead J flanged monorails or track rails, the combination with a flanged rail, and a flanged supporting beam therefor, of clamp members and hook bolts to respectively engage the flanges of said beam and rail,'and a o a tie plate to maintain said parts in engaged relation. 7

2. The combination with a flanged monorail or track rail member and a flanged supporting beam member, of a clamp device to engage the flange of the beam member, a hook device to engage the flange of the ra1l member and having a shank arranged to pass through the clamp device, and means for the hook device shank to clamp the parts w together.

4. The combination with a flanged monorail or track member, and a flanged supporting beam member of a clamp device to engage the flange of the beam member, a hook device to engage the flange of the rail member, and having a shank arranged to pass through the clamp device, a tie plate through which said hook device also passes, said clamp device having a portion thereof arranged to engage said tie plate, and means for the hook device shank to clamp and hold the parts together.

5. The combination with a flanged rail member and a flanged supporting beam member, of a clamp device to engage the flange of the beam member, a hook device to engage the flange of the rail member, and having a shank arranged to pass through the clamp device and a tie plate interposed between said rail member and beam memher.

6. The combination with a flanged rail member and a flanged supporting beam member, of a plate resting on the flanges of said members, a clamp device engaging said plate, a hook device passing through said NORMAN WHICHELLO.

Witnesses O'r'ro ALBERT, ERIC ZACHAU.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

